SGAP

Cairns May 2011 Newsletter 110

Society for Growing Australian ( R egion) Inc., Branch PO Box 199 EARLVILLE QUEENSLAND 4870 . www.sgapcairns.org.au [Web site ] [e-mail ] [phone ] We’re online! Stuart Worboys Through the considerable efforts of Tony Roberts, SGAP Cairns Branch I NSIDE T HI S I S S U E now has an online present. Our website can now be viewed at 1 We’re online! www.sgapcairns.org.au. The website is simply constructed, easy to navigate, and although still a 1 The Cape Grafton Collections work in progress, contains a vast array of photographs (many wit h names attached), information on the history of our organization, species lists 3 Online resources for from around the region, and newsletters dating back to 2007. identification 4 May activities The Cape Grafton Collections Part 2

By R.L. Jago

In last month’s newsletter, Bob introduced the story of Cook’s journey up the eastern coast of Australia in 1770, and the botanical side-story of the collections of and Daniel Solander. I continue the story with Bob’s listing of type specimen s known to have been collected by these great early botanists at Cape Grafton. In this month’s newsletter Bob Send articles, book describes the familiar waxflower, australis. reviews, events or promotions to the editor: ORDER : worboys1968@ FAMILY : yahoo.com.au NAME : Hoya australis subsp. australis R.Br. ex Traill TYPE : Cape Grafton, J. Banks & D. Solander 9 th June 1770. SYNONYMS : COMMON NAME : Hoya; Waxflower HABITAT : Wide variety of habitats from rocky outcrops along coastal shorelines to rainforests to 630 metres altitude; also common in thickets etc on a wide variety of substrates including beach sands and mangrove margins.

Cape Grafton Collections continued on page 2

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Cape Grafton Collections from page 1

PRONOUNCED : HOY-a oss-TRAR-liss ETYMOLOGY : The genus is named in honour of Thomas Hoy (1750 - 1822), who among other things was gardener to the Duke of Northumberland at Syon House, Isleworth in Middlesex for 40 years. He was also a highly respected botanist, member of the Linnean Society of London and member of the first Council of the Horticultural Society of London. The species epithet is derived from the Latin australis south or southern. CONSERVATION A common (or ‘least concern’) native species. STATUS : DESCRIPTION : A succulent vine to sub-shrub, stems and bleeding a thick milky sap when cut or broken. Leaves succulent, fleshy or leathery (coriaceous); petiole to 20 mm. long; blade (lamina) 50-100 mm. long x 40-70 mm. wide, glabrous or with scattered to dense hairs, venation pinnate but usually difficult to see; 2 small finger-like glands (colleters) usually present at the base of the leaf Hoya australis. Image by Tau’olunga blade on the up per surface. an umbel (Creative Commons Image, some rights reserved). of 10-20 strongly fragrant . Flowers star - shaped, 3-5 mm. long x 10-25 mm. diameter with 5 cream-white petals with a red base, covered in part by the staminal corona. Fruit a slender follicle. DISTRIBUTION : , WA, NT, Qld. to northern NSW. Also in New Guinea and Melanesia. NOTES : One of several species of local plants collected at Cape Grafton by Banks & Solander in 1770 illustrated in Banks Florilegium from material collected at the in 1770 by Banks & Solander. This species is locally common in the in a wide variety of habitats. REFFERENCES : Bailey, F.M. (1909) Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants. 334. Bailey, F.M. (1900) The Queensland Flora. Volume 3: 1012-1013. Cooper, W. & Cooper, W.T. (2004) Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. 41-42. Diment, J.A., Humphries, C.J., Newington & Shaughnessy, E. (1984) Catalogue of the Natural History Drawings commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks o n the Endeavour Voyage 1768-177. Part 1: Botany of Australia. 119 Forster, P.I. & Liddle, D.J; (1996) Hoya. Flora of Australia, 28: 233. Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1986) Flora of south-eastern Queensland. 2: 311. Traill (1827) Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London. 7: 28.

SGAP Cairns Page 3

Online resources for plant identification

By Stuart Worboys

This article is a summary of a presentation I gave to the Society for Growing Australian Plants Cairns Branch and the Friends of the Flecker Botanic Gardens last month. The aim of the presentation was to raise “[a] vast array of free plant identification awareness of the vast array of free plant ide ntification materials that are materials… are available available to those with access to the internet. to those with access to The information I’m giving here is just the tip of the iceberg. For those the internet with the time and inclination, there’s a lot more. What I’m discussing here is probably more reliable than most, and is relevant to northern Queensland. I’ll divide the discussion into three sections: online picture libraries, online books and online keys. PICTURE LIBRARIES DiscoverNATURE Can be found at: www-public.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/index.htm It contains lists of plants and animals found at JCU Cairns and JCU Townsville, including most of which are pictured. It has been compiled through the energy of Betsy Jackes. The Australian Plant Image Index Can be found at : www.anbg.gov.au/photo/index.html Managed by the Australian National Herbarium Contains mostly southern species, but will soon include thousands of images from the new edition of the CSIRO Rainforest Key. ONLINE BOOKS Grasses of James Cook University Townsville Presented in two parts. C an be found at : eprints.jcu.edu.au/2103/1/JCUGrasses_Part_A.pdf eprints.jcu.edu.au/2104/2/JCUGrasses_Part_B.pdf

These native peas can be identified Compiled by Nanette Hooker. The written descriptions in this book are, of using “The Pea Key” necessity, somewhat technical. However, every genus of grass is well illustrated with scanned specimens. Plants of Can be found at: www-public.jcu.edu.au/discovernature /JCUPRD1_065131

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This easy-to- use reference guide has been prepared by Betsy Jackes. 3rd Edition is only available online. Saturday 21 May ONLINE KEYS SGAP CAIRNS BRANCH OUTING Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Meet midday at Wangetti Beach (turn right Can be found at: www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd - just north of the Hartleys Creek). keys/rfk/index.html After lunch and a quick meeting we’ll explore the nearby dry rainforest, probably the best of its kind in the Wet Tropics. Wednesday 25 May 3.30 PM. ATFI SEMINAR AT JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY. Dr Mark Harrington speaking on the topic of “Evolution of the Austrlian Flora.” More information at www.jcu.edu.au/events/eventscns/JCUJCU1_ 071479.html, or call 4042 1808. Sunday 29 May SGAP TABLELANDS BRANCH OUTING. Any queries please contact Chris Jaminon 4095 2882 or [email protected] Long the standard reference for anyone interested TOWNVILLE SGAP in Australian tropical rainforest plants, this key Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, covers over 2500 species found in the rainforests of February to November, in Annandale northern Australia Community Centre at 8pm, and holds It has been compiled over 40 years by Bernie excursions the following Sunday. Hyland, Trevor Whiffin, Frank Zich and others. The Pea Key SGAP CAIRNS Also called An interactive key for Australian pea - 2011 COMMITTEE flowered legumes Chairperson Can be found at: www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd - David Warmington Vice Chairperson keys/peakey/key/The%20Pea%20Key/Media Mary Gandini /Html/index.html Treasurer Covers 1500 species of the Fabaceae (Faboideae) in Stuart Worboys Australia. Ph. 4058 1730 Secretary Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids Bob Jago Can be found at www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd - Ph. 4055 2266 keys/orfk/index.html Newsletter Stuart Worboys Created by David Jones, T. Hopley and Siobhan Duffy email: [email protected] Covers 224 species from northern Australia . Despite Webmaster the name, its coverage not just restricted to Tony Roberts rainforest orchids Ph. 4055 1292